Rambling
by xXxAnimeBellxXx
Summary: Alistair is tired and rambling and feeling insecure. Amell takes it upon herself to cheer him up. ((... I really just wanted to write something useless and fluffy...))


Alistair was beyond the point of exhaustion, and perhaps that made it worse, but what he'd meant as a snarky (but relatively short) reply to some comment made by Morrigan as they trudged through the forest in search of a good place to camp had turned into a rambling monologue on some topic that the Grey Warden wasn't even entirely sure of. Once he'd opened his mouth, words just started pouring out, and the warrior was having a hard time getting them to stop.

"... Not that I have anything against elfroot, of course, it's all useful and such, but couldn't we just find something else for a change? I mean, it seems like everywhere we go, there's elfroot everywhere, and finding something else is like finding treasure because, compared to all the elfroot we find, there's barely any of the other plants and things used to make potions and stuff, which makes me wonder if we're just not lookin-"

"Alistair! Shut! Up!" Morrigan's irritated shout seemed to have done the trick, and his mouth finally snapped closed, halting the flow of nonsense. Face heating up, the young prince turned his head down and away, trying to avoid looking at anyone. He vaguely heard the dark haired mage sigh out a relieved, "Finally!" which made him swallow thickly, shoulders slumping slightly as he felt his entire body burn in shame.

It was a problem. He knew it was. He'd always been terrible with words, and had gotten into the annoying habit of covering his insecurity with more words, overcompensating and just getting people mad at him, bringing even more insecurities to the forefront of his mind. The fact that he was never meant to be born really didn't help with his self-esteem, and now all he could do was get on everyone's nerves...

He tried not to let his thoughts show on his face, but as soon as they'd finished setting up camp, Amell pulled him towards the river so they could talk privately, a worried look in her cool grey eyes as she stared up at him. The blond man bit his lip and tugged nervously at his gauntlets as he waited for her to say something. The longer the silence stretched on, the more pressure he could feel building in him, trying to push more senseless ramblings out of him to try to break the awkwardness, but no doubt only making it worse and-

"Alistair, you've been really quiet the last couple hours. What's wrong?" At her words, Alistair let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding, gaping at the redhead in shock. Was she serious?

"You-I-You don't..." He sighed, shaking his head in an attempt to clear it somewhat. "Nothing's _wrong,_ I just..." He winced slightly at the pointed look she was giving him, clearly not buying his attempt to seem like he was fine. "... I ramble. You know it. I know it. _Everyone_ knows it. I open my mouth and a flood of nonsense comes out, drowning everyone around me in idiocy, and I try not to let it bother me when they get mad and tell me to just shut up for five minutes, but it's really hard and I already know how annoying I am, I don't need you all to remind me that I'm not wanted, but-"

His rambling was once again cut short, this time by something much less expected and far more pleasant. Her lips were simultaneously gentle and demanding against his, coaxing a gasp out of him at the feeling of something warm and wet sliding across his lips before diving in to explore the inside of his mouth. Slowly, with all the awkward fumbling one might expect from someone as inexperienced as himself, Alistair brought his hands up to rest at Amell's waist, hesitating before making contact, afraid that touching her would break the illusion, and either he'd wake up to find it was all a dream, or she would come to her senses and pull away in disgust.

Brown eyes slipped closed and a soft, relieved sigh escaped from his mouth to hers when neither of these things happened. Unsure of what to do with his hands now, he opted to just leave them at the young mage's waist as he began tentatively returning the kiss, running the tip of his tongue along the underside of hers as she continued to explore every crevice of his mouth. He wasn't expecting the moan this got from her, or the answering groan the reaction pulled from him.

When they eventually broke apart for air, Alistair kept his eyes closed, still waiting for the realization that none of this was real, but at the same time, trying to burn the memory of her kiss into his mind, never wanting to forget the way her lips felt on his. Finally, though, his attention was drawn back to the woman still in front of him, still embracing him around his neck, as she pulled her head away from where she'd leaned it against his chest, and he was forced to meet her gaze. What he found there, in her light grey eyes... He had no idea how to describe what he saw reflected in them, but it made his heart flutter and his already warm cheeks burn.

With a soft smile on her face, Amell took a moment to just look at him before speaking. "You are _not_ annoying, Alistair, and the thought that you're not wanted is just..." She shook her head, sighing. "Of course you're wanted. I couldn't survive without you around, and I'm not just talking about your fighting abilities, though I've always looked up to you for those." A blush rose to her cheeks at the admittance, though it was nothing compared to the redness spread across Alistair's face and neck. "You're funny and kind and you always know how to cheer me up if I feel sad, and I really wish I'd been there for you like you've been there for me. I'm sorry I didn't notice this sooner, and I hope you can forgive me my ignorance."

Alistair could only stare as he tried to process all of what she'd just said. Amell's gaze was now as nervous as his own usually was, and the former almost-Templar felt an immediate urge to reassure her. "It... It's alright, Amell, really. You have no reason to apolo-"

"Yes, I do!" He jumped at her sudden outburst, eyes widened almost comically as he stared at her in shock. "I have failed you, letting you think that you were an annoyance that no one wanted. I obviously haven't been doing my part right, if you can't see just how much you mean to me." Taking a deep breath, Amell locked her eyes on his. "I'm in love with you, Alistair. You are my everything, and you make my life brighter just by being nearby, smiling in my general direction, laughing at my bad jokes. I love you."

There was a long moment where Alistair tried to gather his thoughts enough to formulate a response. Passion darkened grey orbs stared into his own overwhelmed brown, waiting patiently for him to put words together. "I... Amell..." Words (as usual) failing him spectacularly, the blond bent down slowly, pressing a tender kiss to the corner of slightly swollen pink lips, trying to convey all he felt in the simple gesture. When he pulled back and met her eyes once more, he found the same tenderness he knew showed in his own, and he knew that he'd managed to get his point across.


End file.
